Dudley Allen Thoms

Dudley Allen Thoms passed away peacefully in his sleep in the early morning hours of Thursday, February 11, 2021, following a long period of illness.  He was 74 years old. Dudley was a member of First Baptist Church Beeville and a veteran of the United States Army.  

Dudley was born in Sinton, Texas on October 21, 1946, to Bernice Turk Thoms and Fred Thoms.  He graduated from Sinton High School in 1964.  After attending Southwest Texas Junior College in Uvalde, he transferred to Texas A&M University in College Station.  During his senior year at A&M, he was drafted into the United States Army and served in Vietnam.  He returned home to South Texas in 1971 and began his career as a commercial banker with First State Bank of Three Rivers.  He married Mary Ellen Handy on January 26, 1974, and together they made their home in Beeville and raised four children: Sarah Elaine, Joseph, Wayne and Wesley. 

Dudley enjoyed a long career in commercial lending in the Beeville community, first with State Bank & Trust, then Commercial National Bank, and retired from First National Bank of Beeville in 2014.  Over the years, he also enjoyed farming and ranching, serving as a Sunday school teacher for the senior adults of First Baptist Church Beeville, spending time with grandchildren and cooking for his family. 

He was preceded in death by his mother, Bernice Turk Thoms; his father, Fred Thoms; and son, Joseph Allee Thoms. 

Dudley is survived by his wife of 47 years, Mary Ellen Handy Thoms; daughter, Sarah Elaine (Paul) Lucke of Baytown; son, Wayne Allen (Meredith) Thoms of Beeville; son, Wesley Hutchins (Jerica) Thoms of Skidmore; brother, David (JoAnn) Thoms of Three Rivers; sister, Bernadine (Leslie) Ploeger of Gonzales; sister-in-law, Sarah Kay Handy (Walter) Schuster of College Station; his nine grandchildren, Claire and Caroline Lucke of Baytown; Ryan and Tricia Thoms of Roosevelt, Arizona; Matheson, Whitney and Wrenn Thoms of Beeville; Jeron and Iris Thoms of Skidmore; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, February 19 at First Baptist Church Beeville with Rev. Greg Traylor and Rev. Tom MacGregor officiating.  Honorary pallbearers are David Thoms, Gene Meyers, Rev. Joe Vernon, Rev. Homer Hanna, Dr. Rodney Schorlemmer, Dr. Steven Steele, and the members of the Senior Adults Sunday School Class at First Baptist Church Beeville.  Interment with military honors will occur at a later date at Coastal Bend Veterans State Cemetery in Corpus Christi.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to a charitable organization of one’s choosing.

OAK PARK MEMORIAL FUNERAL CHAPEL

BEEVILLE, TEXAS

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